


Million Reasons

by AtTheEdgeOfTomorrow



Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 13:21:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8491303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtTheEdgeOfTomorrow/pseuds/AtTheEdgeOfTomorrow
Summary: Mike had to explain why he didn't tell Ginny. Nothing else mattered except making her understand. He was giving her a million excuses but she was looking for the one that made it all make sense





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written pre-1x06. 
> 
> I'm so in love with this show and these two, I broke my rule about not writing mid season and after so few episodes.

“Dam it Ginny pick up the phone” Mike said as he got her voicemail for the third consecutive time in five minutes.  He wanted to be the one to tell her about himself and Amelia and clearly she had beaten him to the punch. 

He had tried to beat her into the clubhouse but someone from front office stopped him to tell him about Miller being traded.  He quickly pulled out his phone to call her but Ginny had rejected it after two rings...he was too late.

When he finally got down to the clubhouse, she was in her own little corner and avoided his gaze. They went for warm ups on the field and Mike noticed that she purposefully moved to the other side of the field for long tosses.  Mike constantly looked over at her and Ginny would not meet his gaze.  Yep Amelia and beaten him to it.

Blip was right, the consequences were Ginny adjacent and he knew it.  He knew that it needed to come from him.  He even said as much to Amelia after the first time she had stayed over.  He wanted to tell her right then and there but the longer they didn’t and the more he got invested with Amelia, the bigger the consequences. 

Ginny spent the game at the other end of the bench from him and luckily for both him and the team’s sake, she wasn’t pitching so he didn’t have to worry about him being distracted.  Normally Ginny is right at the dugout rail, cheering her teammates on and the first to congratulate them on their RBIs or their defensive plays.  But not today, she stayed at the far end, picking at lint from her uniform.  Most of the team chalked it up to her surviving her first trade deadline and upset about Miller, but not Mike.  Mike knew this was his doing and he needed to fix it.

Despite Mike’s desire for the game just to be over, he was able to perform and the Padres got the win.  He was the first to be back in the club house, showered and changed.  He was making a B-line for the door when he got pulled into the media scrum.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ginny quickly hurry out of the room.  He tried to hurry the reporters along but they kept asking how it felt to be on a winning streak and how the starting rotation has been delivering solid outings and blah blah blah. Mike didn’t care about their questions.  The only thing on his mind, was explaining to his rookie why he hadn’t told her. 

It was another fifteen minuets before Mike finally made it out of there and he had been calling Ginny non stop.  Each time, it going to voicemail.  He was walking to his car when her saw that Amelia was waiting for him.

“Good game Lawson.  Let’s go celebrate” She said as she reached around to grab his ass.

He stopped her and said “You told her? And right before the game.  I can’t believe you did that”

“What we said we were going to tell her and I saw her heading in so I took the chance.  I don’t get why you’re do upset you wanted to tell her from the start and now she knows.  She even said that she didn’t care and was happy that we’re happy.”

“She’s my rookie and teammate.  It needed to come from me.  And plus don’t you know don’t ever mess with a ball players pre game routine?  We as a group of grown ass men are the most superstitious of people.” He popped his trunk to put his bag in and moved to climb in the drivers seat. “And by the way, she does care because she didn’t even look at me once today.  You should have let me handle this.” And he slammed the car door shut.

He was far to worked up for this just to be about Ginny’s reaction he thought as he flung his head against the head rest.  He looked in his mirror and saw Amelia walking back to her car.  He pulled out his phone and called her again. Voice mail “Ginny it’s me.  I don’t know if you’re going to listen to this or just delete it but I need to explain.  I’m coming over.”  He heard Amelia’s car screech off into the distance. 

He got out of his car and walked the two blocks to her hotel.  There was no point driving when he could just leave his car in its spot and he needed the time to figure out what he was going to say to her.  He was in the lobby of the building in ten minutes, no further along with what he was going to tell her. He thought back to the night he met Amelia in the bar after the win in LA.  He was watching Ginny dance with that stupid big grin on her face.  He was happy that she was letting go and fitting in with the guys.  He decided to leave because he was letting his mind go some where it shouldn’t.  That’s when he saw Amelia.  Was she a proxy? Maybe, Mike wasn’t sure.  He just knew he was upset about how things went with Rachel and she was there.

He thought about how he had reacted during the Beanball game.  He didn’t want her to get hurt, not because he thought she couldn’t take it, no he was quickly learning that Ginny Baker was tougher then he was.  He didn’t want her in harms way.  He knew there was something more to the whole Davis thing then being “old friends” from Texas.  He told Amelia that he forgot something in his locker so that he could wait for her.  It was all over her face that it was more than just a healthy rivalry.  She may have only been his pitcher for a few weeks now, but he could read her better then the guys he’d played seasons with.

His mind flashed to that god awful dinner with her mother and Kevin.  Without saying a word, he knew she needed him, even if she didn’t know it herself.  That night when he called her, was the start of their real friendship.  It went beyond being a good teammate and captain.  She was quickly working her way into his heart as a friend.

That’s why he thinks she reacted the way she did.  Ginny Baker was tough, tougher then he was.  And she got that way but keeping focused on one goal and blocking everything out.  She had built huge walls around her personal life, and she had to if she was going to survive in this world.  But she was letting them come down, for him.  All she had was Blip, Evelyn, and her brother.  She was starting to let him in and what ever amount she was starting to trust him, had been blown to hell.  Sure she had Amelia but at the end of the day, Amelia wasn’t her friend, she was her agent (and not a very good one at that).

“Fuck I knew this would blow up in my face.” He muttered to himself as he rode the elevator to her floor.  As the doors dinged open, he had to will his feet to move.  He could see the look on her face in his mind.  He knew her well enough to know that she would retreat inside herself and probably not come out.  He had to make sure that she knew he wasn’t going anywhere.

He took a deep sigh before raising his hand to knock on the door.  He waited.  No answer.  He knocked again, this time more forcibly.  Still no answer.  But he heard her feet shuffle ever so slightly to the door.  “Come on Rookie, I know you’re there.  Please open the door and let me explain.”  Still nothing. “I’m not going away, Baker.  I’m gonna sit at this door until you talk to me.”  He said as he slid to floor and leaned back against the door.  “I know you’re pissed Baker and I get that.  I tried to find you to tell you first but clearly that didn’t work.  I know you told her that you didn’t care but I know you, and I know you do.  Please open the door and talk to me.  I know who you are Rookie and I know this is hard for you but you have to trust that I didn’t want it to go down this way.” He didn’t know what he was saying he was just trying to get words out, any combination to get her to open the door and let him in so he could make it right with her.

“You have to know that I wouldn’t be sitting outside this door, with my back and knees for anyone Rookie. “ He was becoming quite and more desperate in his pleas. “You’re special Rookie.  You have always been special to me.  I watched you after you first game in the tunnel.  I watched you throw over and over again.  I knew that you had what it took to be here Baker and I’ve seen it everyday since.  I know you put on this face for the media, the team, and everyone else that wants something from you.  But I see through that facade and see what you don’t show the world or even yourself.  I can read you like no one else can read you and your the only one I can read so completely.  Ginny please.” That was it. He had nothing left to plead with. He waited for what seemed like an eternity in silence.  He wasn’t going to move from his spot in front of her door but he knew that there was nothing else worth saying. So he waited. 

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there.  She occupied his every thought.  Her smile, her laugh, the way she looked in at him for the sign sequence, the way she pushed him to be better, the way she called him ‘old man’.  He had made a pillow for himself with his jacket when he heard the lock on the other side of the door click and her feet move away.

He pushed himself up of the floor with what felt like every joint in his body crack and pop.  He slowly reached out for the door and pushed it open.  Mike slowly shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the carpet as he entered her suite.  Ginny was standing at the window with her back towards him as he made his way into the living room.  It was sparsely decorated with a few pictures here and there.

The tension hung in the air and he knew that she wasn’t going to turn around until he had something worthy of it.  Without even looking, Mike knew she had been crying.

“Alright here goes. I’m sorry it came from her and not me.  I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you when it first happened. But for the record, I wanted to tell you but she said not to.  And I shouldn’t have let it continue for so long without telling you.  First it was just a hook-up, and I know you don't want to hear that from me but I thought that if it didn’t continue then there was no reason to tell you.  I’m sorry that I let it get this far.  But most of all, I’m sorry that I hurt you.” There he said it and the last part came out as he was on the verge of tears himself.

He moved closer to her, reaching out his hand to touch her shoulder, but at the last moment, pulled away.  “How can I believe that?” she said almost so quite that he was only half sure she spoke.

“Look in my eyes Baker- Ginny.  You know my eyes and my calls.” He reached out and this time his hand made contact with her shoulder.  She slowly turned around.  And as he had suspected, her eyes were puffy and bloodshot.  “Ginny you can trust me and my calls.  I never wanted this to happen this way and I never wanted to hurt you. You are my pers-my rookie, my teammate and most importantly, my friend.” He was almost whispering because before it had even crossed his mind, the girl, no this woman was his best friend, his everything.  The person he looked forward to seeing first thing in the morning, the one he talked to late at night, the face he looked for when he crossed home plate.

Ginny looked into his eyes, seeing all the pain, and anger that he had just expressed.  She could see the sincerity of his words and exhaled some of the tension that had been lingering.

“Okay” she said simply.

“Okay what?”

“Okay, I won’t wave you off.  Make me understand how we got here.” She walked over and placed herself on the couch.

“Honestly I’m not sure.  It started out as just a fling.  I saw her working at the hotel bar in LA and I was upset about my wife- ex-wife.  She just told me that she was marrying the guy she cheated on me with and I was lonely.  Amelia was there and it was just sex.” He saw her turned away from him ever so slightly at the sound of her name.

“But clearly it didn’t end there Lawson”.  She said his name as if it pained her.

“No it didn’t.  I wanted to tell you.  In fact my words were ‘Ginny is a big girl and can take it’ but she insisted. So I thought okay so this doesn’t have staying power.  But I was wrong.  I should have told you then and there.  Even more so after we talked about your mom and Kevin.  I knew it was wrong to keep it from you.  Blip even told me so..” He shouldn’t have said that.

“What Blip knew and didn’t tell me. How could he.” She was fuming now.

“No don't put this on him, he only found yesterday and was the one that got me to see sense in telling you.  And he figured it out, I didn’t tell him.  And he made me see reason.  He said that if it really wasn’t a big deal I would have told you already.  So I told Amelia that we needed to tell you but apparently I didn’t make it clear that I need to tell you.” 

Mike wandered around the small room as she took time to digest what he had just told her.  He looked at the books on her coffee table and the pictures along the desk.  There wasn’t much there, just a picture of her and her father, her brother, one from her time in the Minors and her with a State Championship banner.

He eyes made his way over to her.  And for the first time since he entered, he really looked at her.  She was in a pair of pj shorts, a Padres hoodie, and her wild hair flowing down her shoulders.

“Come on Rookie say something.  I know I like the sound of my own voice but you’re killing me here.”

Ginny avoided his gaze when she spoke “I feel like you betrayed me.  And I don't know why because after all we don't really know each other and we’re nothing to each other.  But it stung.”

“Hey look at me Baker, we are something to each other; you’re my rookie and I’m your old man.  We have a bond deeper than anything.  Catchers and Pitchers have an unspoken connection.  I’ve experienced it before with other rookies, but never to the level that I feel it with you.”  He said as she sat next to her and placed her hand in his palm.

“I get that it is your personal life but you are always saying I need to trust you and you didn’t trust me.  We see each other every day.  We talk on the phone every night before we go to bed.  And you still didn’t tell me.”

Mike has spent enough time with her to know that what she wasn’t say was that she let him in, something that she had done very few times before and each time made it harder to open up to someone new.  He knew this because it is exactly that what happened after Rachel left him.  Ginny built up walls to protect herself and not get to close.  Mike didn’t let anyone in by having meaningless one-night stands.  Those were his walls.

That was until he met Ginny Baker. Everything changed when she slapped his ass.

“I know” was all he said.

They sat there, motionless for longer then he would have liked, but the silence wasn’t deafening.  It was allowing them space to process.

“ Look, I could sit here and tell you that I didn’t know what I was doing, or that it didn’t mean anything, or that it had nothing to do with you, but that would be bull shit, every last word of it.  So I won’t insult your intelligence by lying to you.  The deeper it went the more aware of what I was doing and the consequences.”  He got up and started to walk away “So there it is. That’s all I’ve got.  I know it’s not my greatest speech but I’m in uncharted territory here.” He quipped trying to sound like himself. 

He made his way for the door when she suddenly spoke up “what did you mean when you said that your sleeping with _her”_ she couldn’t bare to say Amelia’s name “was about me?”

He stopped dead in his tracks. “You amaze me Ginny.  I am in awe of your strength, your determination, your focus, your beauty, and the fact that you are doing all this under a microscope. I don’t know how to explain it but from the moment I met you, I felt this strong connection to you, an almost primal desire.  But I would never compromise your values and your shot at the show, so maybe she became a proxy for you, an imitation, something to distract me from you.”

She got up and closed the gap, but not all the way. “I still don't understand why you didn’t say anything.  You’re giving me a million reasons and an excuses but all I’m looking for from you is that one that makes it all click into place.”

He thought it over long and hard.  She was right.  He was circling around it “My wife cheated on me.  I was all in Baker, I mean she was my world.  But apparently baseball came first, at least in her mind.  So when she left me I decided that baseball would be my wife and any other woman would be second fiddle.  I shut down emotionally and disconnected myself from those feelings.  Until I saw you pitch.  I realized that I was destined to be your catcher. I thought my legacy would be the Padre who always wore the uniform and won the ring before my knees stopped working.   And don't tell Blip this, but he made me see that you Baker are my legacy.  I was destined to be your guide.  I couldn’t let my feelings about you get in the way of it. So when I needed that closeness and I knew it couldn’t be you, I went to her, because she is ‘Ginny adjacent’” he said with air quotes.  He wasn’t sure if any of this made sense to him, let alone her. 

He looked her square in the eye as she processed all.  Her eyes darted back and forth as if she was replaying the words he spoke.  She exhaled and it was like it all clicked into place.  He didn’t do it to hurt her.  He did it because she was better than being a mistress to the game.

She walked back to the couch, taking up her spot again and bringing her legs up to sit cross-legged.  “Okay”

“You’ve been saying that a lot Rookie.  I’m going to need more words.”

“I understand.  Doesn’t mean that I am happy about it, but it means that I don’t hate you as much as I did three hours ago. We live in a weird bubble where we are on the road nearly eight months out of the year and relationships are hard.” He was still standing by the door, when he decided that it was okay to take a seat in the chair across from her. “I’ve never been good at them, clearly.  And I don't just mean romantic relationships.  Lord knows that that has never been my strong suite. But I’ve never been good at personal ones either.  Baseball always came first with me for as long as I could remember.  I didn’t have friends, I didn’t go to parties, I didn’t have a confidant.  You know why I became distant from my mother but when my dad died it got worse. Blip and Evelyn filled that role and then Amelia signed me and I thought she was my friend. But I’ve been discovering recently that she is out of her depth.  She doesn’t know a fucking thing about this world and when she looks at me, all she sees is dollar signs.” She gathered her composure as she looked like she was on the edge of tears again.  “But you” she chocked back the tears and exhaled deeply “You kept me on track.  I would be six feet under right now if you hadn’t have pulled me back from the brink and got me a win.  So to know when you left the club that night you ended up with her, stings.”

He was now choking back the tears “I thought that if I distanced myself and got the guys to come on your side, I would be helping you.  Baseball is a sport like no other.  You have to know that the guys behind you got your back and the guy in front of you 60 feet, 6 inches away is going to catch you. And they didn’t think you had the stuff.  Hell you were even doubting yourself. But you are here for a reason Baker.  Those scouts saw something when the signed you.  I saw it when you pitched a no hitter in Texas...”

“Wait, how do you know I pitched a no hitter in the minors?” she asked with a very surprised tone.  It was the only no-hitter she ever pitched, hell it was the only time she’d even come close as it was her only complete game. 

“I was in the stands, behind home plate.” He said sheepishly “We had an off day before an interleague series with the Astros and I thought I would check out this up and coming pitcher in the system.” He hadn’t told anyone that he was going.  It was then that he saw that she was the real deal and only a matter of time before she made her way to him-a season and a half to be exact.

She got up and hurried to the picture on her desk.  She put it close to her eyes, squinting as if she was trying to see in the dark.  Her eyes suddenly widened. “I fucken knew you were there.  I told my brother after the game that I saw you in the second row behind the plate be he was all ‘Come on Gin what is a big leaguer going to be doing in back woods Texas watching a Double –A game.  Your eyes are playing tricks on you, having your childhood hero in the stands for your biggest game.’  That was nearly three years ago.  Why didn’t you say anything?”

Mike shrugged his shoulders and stood to meet her gaze “I didn’t want it to go to your head, Rookie” he said with as much cockiness he could muster “and you totally had my poster on your wall” he said as he lightly body checked her.  Ginny was still squinting at the photo trying to make his face out in the crowd.  Mike pulled out his phone, three texts and two missed calls from Blip and Amelia.  He started scrolling through the camera roll.  “Here’s a better one.” He said as he shoved it into her face. It was a selfie where he had turned so that the celebration in the background was in full view.

Ginny just stared at the picture not really sure what that meant but she was starting to get what all that talk was about.  He had been looking out for her this whole dam time, from a distance at first, then on the mound and with their team.  She was begging to wonder if he had genuine feelings for her that went beyond the legacy stuff he had mentioned.

“I was saving that to show you when we won our World Series rings. But what the hell I need the points now.” She was still in disbelief as he punched his shoulder and handed his phone back.  “Fuck it has gone to your head hasn’t it Rookie.  I don't think the team is big enough for both our egos, looks like you’re going to have to go back down.” He said with a smile.

All the tension that had once been in the room was evaporating.  Mike knew he wasn’t forgiven but this was step in the right direction.  He glanced over at the clock and noticed that it was getting late.  “Okay Rookie, this Old Man needs to get home to bed.” He said as he started walking to the door.

“Wait. Don't go. At least not yet” she was speaking almost in a whisper again.  Was she scared that he was going to run to Amelia’s bed? Or did she not want to be left alone. “This has been the most real conversation I have had in like ever and you’re not off the hook yet.  I won’t bring up this stuff, I just want to talk to you. It’s nice having a real conversation with someone again”

Mike knew what she meant.  It was hard having a real conversation with any one in his life that didn’t have to do with stats or money.  He was yearning to just sit and talk to her.  Late night calls had become their thing. They talked about everything and nothing all at the same time.  If Ginny wanted him to stay, he knew that she was on her way to forgiving him.

“Yeah okay but don't blame me if I fall asleep mid sentence.  Us geriatrics have a tendency to do that.” She snorted out a laugh and she broke into the tinniest of smiles. There was hope.

Ginny made her way into her little kitchenette and opened the fridge “Want a beer?” and before Mike could give her his reply she was placing one in his hands.

They sat on the couch and just talked.  Mike wasn’t sure what but it was easy and comfortable.  They talked movies and music. They discussed more personal things like their hopes and fears.  They joked around about the guys on the teams.  And they ribbed each other.

Mike walked into the kitchen to grab two more beers and stopped when he saw how devoid of food it was.  “Seriously Rookie, the amount of food you consume in a day and you barley have anything here.”  He walked back to the couch and pulled out his phone “we are ordering pizza.  I am staving. And I bet you are too.”

He was right.  She hadn’t eaten since before the game. “Okay but not pizza.  I want Chinese.” 

“You’re the boss Rookie.  I’ll eat whatever. Order what you want.  I’ve got to hit the head.  My wallet is in my jacket...use my card.” He gestured to his jacket on the coffee table before he walked done the small hall to the wash room.

He quickly checked his phone.  The number of texts had grown.  Blip was asking if she was okay as she had left the game so quickly and was in a bad mood.  And then how he was starting to worry.  He quickly fired a message back “I’m with her now, Amelia told her.  She was pissed.  We’re working it out.”  

Then he looked at the ones from Amelia.  They started out being about them but quickly turned to how Ginny wasn’t answering her phone and didn’t get what the big deal was.  Mike shook his head at her idiocy and answered “I’m taking care of it”.  He was so mad at her for springing it on her like that and most importantly, he was mad at himself for even getting involved with her in the first place.

He returned to the living room to find Ginny looking pensive, deep in thought.  “Hey Gin, what’s going through that brain of yours.”

“Hmm oh. Nothing.  Just thinking.”

“Remember what I said, I can read you better than anyone.  Something has you attention. What is it?”

“I was just thinking about how much of life I’ve missed out on.  You know I never had a sleep over as a kid? Pops wouldn’t let me because I either had an early morning workout or a game to prepare for. I’ve never pulled an all nighter or broke curfew.  I can count on one hand the number of times I went on a real honest to goodness date.  I didn’t have a teenage rebellion.  You know what I did to rebel against my father, I got my ears pierced.  I’m only 23 and I feel like I have wasted away my youth.”  She was trembling by the time she got it all out. “Was any of it worth it Mike?” she was half yelling, half crying. He could tell that she had held on to this for years.

He raced over to her and scooped her tinny body next to his large frame and pulled her in close.  She resisted at first but he started rubbing her back and she relaxed into it.  He held her in silence for a moment before whispering “Of course it was worth it.  Look at where you are right now.  You are doing something very few people get to do.  You’re a pro ball player.  Forget all that talk about being a woman because that doesn’t matter.  You made scarifies to get here and you are making the most of it.  You talk about being a robot in cleats but you are just Ginny Baker. And that is more than enough.” She lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him “You Ginny Baker inspire me.  And forget about all the things you think you missed out on because it lead you right here to me.” He ran his hand over her hair and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“You should really think about becoming a motivational speaker when your bones give out old man.” She said with a chuckle as she pulled away from him.

“I know right?  I really am the world’s leader in pep talks.”  

Just then there was a knock on the door “Delivery” came the voice from the other side.  Ginny quickly hurried to the door, and retrieved the food.  Mike was in the kitchen getting plates and cutlery out.  They loaded their plates and head back for the living room.

Only Ginny didn’t stop at the couch she made her way to her bedroom and planted herself on the bed.  She motioned for Mike to join her.  “We are going to sit in this bed, eat food and pretend that we are twelve and having a sleep over.” She said with a smile.

He couldn’t argue with her, especially not after seeing how her face lit up at the idea of recreating a stupid childhood tradition. So Mike kicked off his shoes and shimmied next to her on the bed. 

They found a cheesy movie on TV and laughed at the dialogue.  They ate their food and drank the beer. She was drifting in and out of sleep.  Mike had cleaned up the dishes and pulled the blanket up around her.  “Please don't go Mike.” She whispered as she felt his hand brush her hair away and his lip on her forehead.

She opened her eyes to look at him.  He stared closely, reading what she was saying. She didn’t want to be alone and he didn’t want her to be. “Alright I’ll stay, but I’m warning you now, I snore and drool and have been known to be a fierce cuddle.”

He walked over to the other side of the bed and took of his jeans and his shirt, leaving him in his boxers and an undershirt. She giggled slightly “of course you snore.  You’re like eighty.”

“Watch it Rookie.” He said as he pulled the covers up and switched off the light.

There was no discomfort as they both fell into sleep.  In fact Mike couldn’t remember the last time he fell asleep this quickly. He felt her presence on the other side of the bed and was comforted by her.

He wasn’t sure what time it was but he woke up, seeing that it was still dark out and instinctively stretched his hand out for her.  But she wasn’t there.  He had a momentary rush of panic set in until her heard running water coming from the bathroom. He heard her hurry back to bed.

“Hey. Sorry I didn’t mean to wake you.” She whispered and she pulled herself back in under the covers. He was on his side facing her. She moved in closer to him, so close that Mike could feel her breath on his skin. “You really do drool old man” she said with a giggle as she ran her fingers along his beard.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you” he answered coyly. He readjusted his position so he could look in her eyes.  He reached his arms out and pulled her into him. 

“Thanks for this Mike.  I actually felt like a kid again.” She said as she sunk into his warm body.  “I don't remember the last time I’ve laughed so much.”

“I’m sorry it started out the way it did”

She looked up at him “We aren’t going to talk about that right now.  You’ve said you piece and I’ve said mine.  Right now we are just two friends who got over a big fight and are making up.”

“Okay Rookie.”  In that moment he knew that what they had went beyond friendship.  It went beyond teammates.  It went beyond the rookie and the vet.  In that moment he knew what she was to him.  What she was always destined to be to him.  “You are my person Ginny Baker.” Planting a kiss on the tip of her nose.

“I am?” She asked in the quietest voice he had ever heard.

“Yeah you are.  I told you our connection is deeper than any catcher and his pitcher.”

“I think I know what you mean.  I’ve always known that I put my trust in the guy behind the plate, but with you it goes beyond that.  I know what you’ll call before you even flash the sequence and I know you’ll catch it.  But I trust you off the mound jut as much.  I know you didn’t want this thing with Amelia to interfere with us and I know you didn’t want to hurt me.”

She spoke slowly with purpose.  Mike just looked at her, searching her eyes for what she wasn’t saying.  But he wasn’t sure this time what he was seeing.  She had never been able to hide anything from him. He crinkled his brow.

“You’re my person too.  I forgive you.” She said as she leaned in and lightly placed her lips on his.  “I forgive you Mike.” Those words lifted the weight in his chest. 

It was Mike’s turn to lean in a kiss Ginny.  It was soft and gentle.  Their lips fit perfectly with each others.  Mike’s mind began to race and to a place where it shouldn’t be.  He had to put an end to this before he fucked it up again.  He should stop now while it was just a few kisses.   But he couldn’t because he didn’t want to let her go. Ever.

“Ginny we need to stop.  We shouldn’t do this. We can't risk what we have for this. You can't afford to get involved with me” He was thinking about her and her career. He was putting her first.  Her needs above his desire.  His love for her meant that he would always put her first.

“No one will know but us.” She said between kisses. “I want this. I want us to have this...Just for one night.  Just you and me, here right now.”

Mike knows that he should fight her on this.  Mike knows that it he can't leave it just one night.  But for her he’ll try.  A stronger man would be able to pull away.  A stronger man would put a stop to this for her sake.  A stronger man would know what this could cost her.  But Mike Lawson is not a strong man, not when it came to this woman.

So he continued to kiss her. He kissed her like it was the only thing his lips were meant to do.  He pulled her closer to him.  His hands exploring her skin.  He reached them up under her hoodie and she tingled at his touch.  He rolled them over so she was on her back. 

Mike buried his face in her neck, sliding her hoodie up around her ribs.  He missed to place kisses on her stomach as she lifted it over her head.  She giggled at what he assumed was his beard tickling her skin. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her perfect breasts were on full display. He planted soft kisses along every inch of her skin, until he found her mouth again.

She could feel his growing erection between her legs.  Mike tried to ignore the throbbing but he was only human. Ginny ran her fingers along his back until his own shirt was over his head.  She reached her hand down to his boxers, rubbing his package.  He let a moan fall from his lips.  He returned the favour by pressing his hand against the inside of her legs.  Ginny let out a small whimper into his mouth.

He looked down at her, staring in to her large, brown eyes, looking for the final nod of approval.  She knew that he was waiting and gave the nod.  There was no turning back now.

Slowly he rolled over and his feet hit the floor.  “I’ll be right back.  Wallet is on the coffee table.  Condom.” He said between kisses.  She nodded.

 He returned quickly and readied himself for her.   Ginny watched him as he put the condom on.  He found his spot on the bed again and noticed that she had already removed her shorts.  She was ready for him and he was more than happy to give her this.  He slowly lowered down; kissing her more fiercely then he had ever kissed any one.  She anchored her legs at his waist and he entered her. 

It was as if their bodies were meant to be joined together in this way.  Moans of pleasure escaped both their mouths. 

Mike was unaware of time passing.  It could have been seconds, minuets or even hours passing because when he was with Ginny this way, time stood still. There was nothing beyond the two of them. They both reached their peak in perfect unison.

Mike slowly retreated to his side of the bed.  “Not bad for an old man” she chuckled as he fiddled under the blankets to remove the condom.

“Shut up Rookie.  You know that was better than even you could have imagined.” He said with as much vibrato as he could muster.

She curled up with her hand placed on his heart.  “Ginny you know there is no going back from this.  We will forever be changed from this. There are a million reasons to just walk away from this.  A million reasons why we should walk away from this. This can just fade into the background.  Chalk it up to another growing experience that you didn’t get to experience.  I am okay with that.  I told you before.  This is in your hands.  You are my legacy and I will do what it best for you.”

“I know there are a million reasons not to do this but there is one good one too.  We want it.  You said it you’re self, we are destined to be.  We can worry about what come next when the sun comes up.  We can take it slow and it won’t affect our game.  For now, just lay here with me.”

His mind flashed to down the road when this got out.  He prayed that it wouldn’t be for some time when she had established herself.  He wasn’t sure where this was going or what would be the end result, but he knew deep down that it didn’t matter because she was his person.

“That is a good reason Rookie” he said placing a kiss on her forehead. “When the sun comes up, we deal with this. Just promise me one thing”

“Anything”

“Always trust my calls and don't wave me off”

“Whatever you say Old Man”

Here, right now he was happy, happier than he had been since his first pro game.  His person was asleep in his arms and she was in it for the long haul with him at her side.

 


End file.
